Hastings College and the community will welcome 21 guests from Hastings’ sister city, Ozu, Japan, July 25-Aug. 2, 2010. Members of the Hastings International Exchange Organization (HIEO) and Hastings area families will host the visitors during their weeklong stay.
Several members of the group will travel the area visiting sites in Hastings, Grand Island and south central Nebraska to experience Midwestern family life and to share music and messages from Japan.
The visiting group includes eight members of the Ozu International Exchange organization, seven students ages 13-16, two translators and four gardeners, who will work with local gardeners to update Hastings College’s Friendship Garden, located on the east side of Hazelrigg Student Union.
The Hastings, Arapahoe, Ozu Friendship Garden was created at Hastings College in 1996 as a symbol of harmony between the three sister cities and was dedicated to those from Nebraska and Ozu who labored to create it. Ozu’s Mr. Seiichi Kamaura designed the college’s Japanese viewing garden and led its construction. The garden’s features artistically represent the mountains of Japan and the White River, Ozu’s water source. Mr. Kamaura will return to Hastings to oversee work on the garden during the group’s stay next week.
During their visit, the group will view a movie about and visit the Hastings Naval Ammunition Depot, which was once the U.S. Navy’s largest inland munitions plant during World War II. They will also tour downtown Hastings establishments, Grand Island’s Stuhr Museum and more. The gardeners will work on the Friendship Garden on Monday and Tuesday, July 26 and 27.
A detailed schedule of the group’s visit is provided below.

Sunday, July 25
• 4:30 p.m. – Group arrives at Hastings College’s Hazelrigg Student Union and meets with host families

Monday, July 26
• 8:45 a.m. – Meet at Hazelrigg Student Union for the gardeners to begin work at the Japanese garden; youth group leaves for a tour of downtown Hastings’ renovated buildings that are now family dwellings; shopping downtown
• Eat lunch at the Back Alley Bakery
• 1:15 p.m. – View a movie about the Hastings Ammunition Depot at the Hastings Public Library with Walt Miller; tour the Ammunition Depot 
• Return to Hastings College and enjoy evening with host families

Tuesday, July 27
• 8:30 a.m. – Meet at Hazelrigg Student Union for the gardeners to continue work at the garden; youth group departs for Stuhr Museum
• Eat lunch at U.S.A. Steak Buffet in Grand Island
• Enjoy the Grand Island Conestoga Mall
• 4:30 p.m. – Return to Hastings College
• 7:30 p.m. – Shelby Leyland, Etsuko Konishi, Satoru Konishi and Colin Sandall will be performing at the Blue Moon Coffee Shop in Hastings

Wednesday, July 28
• 8:30 a.m. – Meet at Hazelrigg Student Union to depart for a tour of St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral and St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church
• 10 a.m. – Visit Mary Lanning Hospital Cancer Research Center
• 1 p.m. – Return to Hastings College 
• 4 p.m. – Share a potluck dinner at a home near Doniphan

Thursday, July 29
• 8:30 a.m. – Meet at Hazelrigg Student Union for a “Thank You” breakfast for the gardeners who will depart for Lincoln; youth group leaves at 10 a.m. to the Spady home to ride horses
• Eat a picnic lunch
• Enjoy an afternoon at the Murman farm gardens and nearby farmhouse and visit sites in Adams County
• 4 p.m. – Return to Hastings for an evening with host families

Friday, July 30
• 9 a.m. – Meet at Hazelrigg Student Union to tour Hastings College
• Eat lunch at China Buffet
• 1 p.m. – Swim at the Hastings Aquacourt
• Enjoy evening with host families

Saturday, July 31
• Enjoy a free day with host families

Monday, August 2
• 8:30 a.m. – Meet and load buses at Hazelrigg Student Union to say good-bye and leave for Omaha

The HIEO and Hastings College have cooperated to provide students from Ozu, Japan, a week of “Home Stay” in the local area each July since 1995. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the celebrated relationship.
Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,150 students. Hastings College was named 75th Best Value College in the nation and #1 in Nebraska by Forbes.com and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. It was named a 2010 “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review and rated a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s. Visit www.hastings.edu for more information.

For more information, contact Cindy Murphy at (402) 462-2528 or (402) 705-9218, or Tammie Schik at (402) 984-7550.